


Why Edward Norton Said No to Avatar 2

by Anonymous



Category: Avatar - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 09:23:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21195353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Avatar 2 is an upcoming American science fiction film. Release date: December 17, 2021 (USA)





	Why Edward Norton Said No to Avatar 2

Edward Norton has a very specific reason as to why he turned down James Cameron's Avatar 2 offer. Cameron is currently hard at work on the upcoming 4 movie saga, and he wanted Norton to take part in the first sequel. While Norton declined, it did get him into another Cameron production that Robert Rodriguez was helming, Alita: Battle Angel, which wasn't exactly a huge box office success. With that being said, there's still a chance we night see Norton on Pandora in the near future.

Edward Norton and James Cameron are friends, which led to the director asking him to be in Avatar 2. While Norton was thrilled to be asked, he had some stipulations. He explains.   
"I am friends with Jim (Cameron), and actually enormously admire and kind of adore him. So when he wanted me to do something in Avatar 2, I basically told him, 'If I'm not a Na'vi, I'm not doing it. I'm not being part of the industrial world, coming in to destroy Pandora. I'm either a Na'vi or nothing.'"

Norton obviously knows where his acting skills are and can afford to pick and choose his parts, but turning down Avatar 2 seems like a pretty big misstep. Additionally, getting to work with his friend would have been another bonus.

As Edward Norton closes one door, he opened another. When he declined to do Avatar 2, James Cameron suggested something else. "He was like, 'OK, maybe in 3, 4 or 5, then,'" says the actor. So, there is a chance we could see him in another sequel in the near future. This is how the cameo in Alita: Battle Angel came to be. Norton explains.   
"In the meantime, he asked, 'Well, do you know Robert (Rodriguez)?' I was like, 'Whatever. Let's do something. I want to do something with him.'

If a sequel to Alita: Battle Angel is made, Ed Norton is set up to have a large part, thanks to his first cameo. While it's unclear if a sequel will be made, there are fans who are looking forward to it, while the hype around Avatar 2 doesn't seem to be as big as everybody initially anticipated. It's possible that announcing so many sequels could have been a marketing mistake, though we won't really know until the movie hits theaters.

Related: Did Vin Diesel Just Join the Avatar Sequels?

Avatar 2 is all set to hit theaters on December 17th, 2021 with the following three sequels opening in theaters every two years afterwards. James Cameron has taken on a massive project and one has to wonder how he's going to be able to pull it all off with the addition of cutting edge technology. However, if anyone can pull it off, it's James Cameron, who also returned as a producer on Terminator: Dark Fate as a producer with a pretty large role. As for Ed Norton showing up in another Avatar sequel, we'll just have to wait and see. The interview with Norton was originally conducted by Total Film.


End file.
